NBA Season Preview 2019-20: Predictions for each individual award
Coach of the Year
- Doc Rivers, LA Clippers
- Quin Snyder, Utah Jazz
- Brett Brown, Philadelphia 76ers
- Frank Vogel, Los Angeles Lakers
- Alvin Gentry, New Orleans Pelicans
The three Mikes — Mike D’Antoni, Michael Malone and Mike Budenholzer — just miss the cut. D’Antoni has already won this award twice and will have his hands full trying to balance Harden and Westbrook. Last year when Malone finished third, it felt like his best shot at COY since the top of the West got more difficult to navigate this summer. Bud just won last year, his second time winning the award, so voter fatigue and a wide-open field will make compelling cases elsewhere.
The normal names like Brad Stevens, Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr could be in the running, but their teams may not win enough games to challenge the success and/or narratives of our top five candidates.
Alvin Gentry is a dark horse option if the Pelicans make the playoffs, since his up-tempo offense from his Phoenix Suns and Warriors days could see a revitalization with one of the most exciting rookies in NBA history.
NEW PICTURES:
— Mike Prada. (PRAY-duh) (@MikePradaNBA) October 16, 2019
Zion Williamson, running back? That's basically how the Pelicans are using him, and it's brilliant. https://t.co/1BuqmvRQ7W
Assuming he survives as the Lakers’ head coach for a full season, Frank Vogel’s case will be shoehorned into any success L.A. has thanks to LeBron, AD and a more complete roster.
Brett Brown has caught a lot of flak for being out-coached in his team’s last few playoff defeats, but he’s still an excellent regular season coach. The Philadelphia 76ers should have one of the two best records in the East, and if he figures out how to properly deploy a massive, all-wingspan lineup of Ben Simmons, Josh Richardson, Tobias Harris, Al Horford and Joel Embiid, he’ll be more than deserving of the Coach of the Year buzz he receives.
Quin Snyder finished second in COY voting in 2017-18, but with Mike Conley, Bojan Bogdanovic and Ed Davis ready to propel this young team to contender status, the Utah Jazz may finally win enough games to garner him the attention he’s deserved for years now.
However, Doc Rivers is the clear frontrunner. Adding Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and one of the deepest benches in the NBA certainly helps, but Rivers coached his ass off last season to make the Clippers one of the league’s most pleasant surprises. He finished second in COY voting, and Doc should have a pretty convincing case riding that momentum with a superior roster, more hype than perhaps any other NBA team and an even deeper roster.